A few times in the history of combat sports, a talent has been able to emerge in the heavyweight division without unfathomable ability closer to fighters in lower weight classes. Muhammad Ali’s footwork and lightness resembled a welterweight. Fedor Emelianenko’s speed was like a middleweight, and Cain Valesquez looked like his cardio was so good he’d have no trouble keeping up with those with a much lower number on a scale. The most recent emergence of this phenomenon is current interim UFC heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane. With a high-level Muay Thai training and maintaining a well-developed, well-balanced game, Gane seemed like his movement and speed were one or more steps ahead of every man he’s faced so far.
Order UFC 270 on ESPN+
Watch the Ngannou vs. Gane fight live this Saturday night on ESPN+
As fast as he moves, his career moved even faster. To become a UFC title holder in just 10 fights is unusual at best, although to do so in such a perfect manner is as good an argument as anyone has ever had. After finishing an undefeated Muay Thai career consisting of 13 wins, Gane won three consecutive MMA fights in lower organizations before entering the UFC. A couple battle in bagan names to rack up including Tanner Boser, Junior Dos Santos, Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Alexander Volkov. The latter of which earned him an interim title fight with Derrick Lewis when current champ Francis Ngannou was unable to come to terms with the UFC schedule.
In a one-sided performance, Gane separated Lewis before finishing him in the third round, cementing himself as the interim champion and the biggest threat to Ngannou’s reign in the world. Gane’s cerebral approach to combat is definitely worth a closer look.
Hunter Analysis
Ciryl Gane’s history as a pure striker comes through in her MMA fighting style. Although young in his current sport, he is as patient and composed as any veteran. He constantly works behind his jab, which he starts with a hard-to-read low guard. While this exposes his head, a dangerous game to play against any heavyweight, his top-notch distance control allows him to stick and move and stay out of his opponent’s reach when he chooses. He also sets up his jab, and further his boxing combinations, always feigning with his legs and shoulders, in doing so he elicits reactions on a variety of levels in his targets allowing him to enter with very little telegraph, if necessary.
It seems that Gane irritates his opponents in the most practical way. By starting most of his fights with low impact but scoring blows, such as his jab, leg kicks, teeps, and snap kicks, he does not necessarily earn his opponent’s respect but frustrates him enough to take risks. Only then will Gane sit on his suits and land with a fight-ending impact. Generally Gane’s jab is used to pressure his opponents backwards towards the cage, this is better for Gane because the more area behind him the more area he can use to pull back and get in without be cut. When he has his opponent trapped from the heel to the cage, he will choose his moments from his feints to explode with knees and power shots, then come out from different angles. This makes him difficult to counter, although he does take away some of the straight line power that is often favored by some other heavyweights when it comes to his hands.
Another skill often used by Gane is the switch. Left-handed, he will throw a left kick consistently until his opponent has a read on him. He will then use the move as a feint in order to stretch the bite, then hide a pass as his legs move into a straight cross from the orthodox stance.
In terms of Gane’s grappling game, his ability to initiate takedowns is even closer to Muay Thai where he uses sweeps and discharges from an attacker’s clinch or chained to the end of strikes rather than shoot straight. His submission ability hasn’t been on full display lately in the octagon, but the threat is still there as he even showed an impressive leg lock attack that’s rare in the heavyweight division in particular. On the contrary, by having a fallback submission threat, Gane is able to be freer in his light kicking approach when he strikes.
unifying gold
While Ciryl Gane currently holds the UFC Interim Heavyweight title, that in no way satisfies the Frenchman. Now set to face his ex-sparring partner Ngannou, Gane now has the opportunity to not only become France’s first UFC champion, but also to do so against an opponent he knows extremely well from having contested. countless rounds in the training room. The two will meet at UFC 270 this Saturday night in the main event to settle the score.
